Final Fantasy Legends
by Mechanical Man
Summary: The story of Cloud, Squall, and Sora through the events of Kingdom Hearts. Chapter 17 added 061703. Major revision 031403
1. Introduction and Disclaimer

Dramatis Personae:  
  
Cloud Strife, an ex-SOLDIER  
Squall "Leon" Leonhart, a Gunblade Wielder  
Sora, the Keyblade Master  
  
Riku, a Young Boy  
Kairi, a Princess of Heart and Sora's Love Interest  
  
Yuffie Kisaragi, a Materia Hunter  
Cid Highwind, a Pilot  
Aeris Gainsborough, the Last of the Ancients and Cloud's Love Interest  
Tifa Lockheart, a Barmaid and Cloud's Childhood friend  
Vincent Valentine, an ex-Turk  
Red XIII, the Protector of Cosmo Canyon  
Barret Wallace, the leader of AVALANCHE  
Reeve, the Mayor of Midgar and Controller of Cait Sith  
Shera, a Pilot's Assistant  
  
Rinoa Heartlilly, a Sorceress and Squall's Love Interest  
Zell Dincht, a Martial Artist  
Selphie Tilmitt, an Energetic Girl  
Irvine Kinneas, a Gunman  
Quistis Trepe, a Garden Instructor  
Seifer Almasy, a Sorceress' Knight  
Raijin, a Strong Man and Seifer's Cohort  
Fujin, a Strong Woman and Seifer's Cohort  
  
Sephiroth, the Legendary Swordsman  
  
Donald Duck, a Court Wizard  
Goofy, a Royal Knight  
The Mayor, of the Destiny Islands  
Tidus, a Young Boy  
Wakka, a Blitzball Player  
Various Moogles, of Traverse Town  
  
DISCLAIMER: I make no claims to the characters or settings portrayed in this story. All Final Fantasy characters, including Sora, Riku, and Kairi, are all property of Squaresoft, and interestingly enough all designed by Tetsuya Nomura. Now, this story contains events that did not happen in the narrative of Kingdom Hearts itself. I am also assuming for purposes of this story that Cloud (and Aeris, Tifa, Cid, Cait Sith, Vincent, Barret, Red XIII, Yuffie, Sephiroth) came from the Planet containing Midgar, materia, etc. (which I refer to as the "Seventh World"), and that Squall (and Rinoa, Zell, Quistis, Selphie, Irvine, Laguna, Seifer, Edea, Ultimecia) came from the world containing the Gardens, GF's, etc. (which I refer to as the "Eighth World"). I do not want to receive reviews or e-mails saying how the Final Fantasy characters are not the ones from the games, and how they all came from Hollow Bastion. I have played the game extensively and know the explanations. If I seem arrogant or facetious, forgive me, as I am just trying to prevent everyone from getting their knickers in a twist about the origins and flooding me with useless emails. All scenes that appear in the game itself use VERBATIM text from the dialogue. I have Oliver Kong (kong_oliver@hotmail.com) to thank for this, due to his excellent game script guide. Any discrepancies or arguments about the game text should be taken up with him, not me. Oh, and new characters will be added as they appear in the story. 


	2. Prelude

            Cloud Strife lay underneath the vast sky, staring at the clouds blowing by. Boko, his personal chocobo, was grazing nearby, trying to root out some greens from the veldt. Cloud stretched out, running his fingers through the grass. A soft breeze blew over his body, serving to relax him all the more.

            This was the first time that he was able to rest in a long time. It had been two weeks since Meteor was destroyed, but instead of disintegrating completely, it had broken into thousands of pieces, some big, some small. Unfortunately a few of the larger ones fell into Midgar, compounding the damage already done, but most of the smaller ones burned up in the atmosphere. The ones that did fall needed to be contained, and some had been reported as far away as Icicle Village.

            Cloud sighed and fingered the ribbon in his hand. It was Aeris', her only surviving memento, aside from the White Materia that still lay wrapped within it. He could still play back that horrific scene in his mind; it was as fresh as if it had happened the day before. Aeris looking so peaceful, and Sephiroth falling from the sky behind her. Just the mention of that man's name sent shivers down his spine. The son of Jenova was dead, or at least they hoped, but Aeris was still gone. Not even the power of the Planet could bring her back.

            He heard a radio crackle to life, and Boko ran up to him, warking. Cloud got up, removing the radio from his saddlebags.

            "Cloud!" a voice spoke to him.

            "Cid? Is that you?"

            "Yeah!" The pilot's voice was difficult to hear and broken up by static.

            "I'm not reading you very well out here."

            "Well… get your ass back… a meeting… Reeve wants you…"

            "I copy." He sighed. "I'm coming back right away."

            "Great! See you…." The transmission died.

            Cloud mounted Boko and started towards Midgar. He had gone south, towards the Zolom swamps, and was thinking of going all the way to Fort Condor when he was recalled. The trip back would have taken an hour by foot, and half an hour by chocobo, but Boko was three-time Gold Saucer Champion. After escaping from the prison, he hadn't forgotten about the bird that let him out. The yellow creature flew over the grass, and 15 minutes later he was at the gates of Midgar.

            Yuffie Kisaragi had just returned from Wutai. She had reported what had happened with Sephiroth and Meteor to her father, and given him some more materia. The city had been in repairs after the incident with Don Corneo and the Turks, and she hoped that more money could speed the process. She had returned to Midgar to find a job, preferably working with materia. The cleanup jobs that Cloud and the others had didn't interest her. She wanted something with more excitement, and something that would let her send a little bit more home…

            She had heard of an abandoned materia shop in Sector 5, and had gone to find any "buried" treasure. She skipped across the huge piles of stone and metal brought down by Meteor's attack, humming an off-key tune as she did. Fortunately the Plate had held, but only barely. She was warned that kicking the wrong rock could bring it all down. No one stayed in the slums for longer than they needed to. Most of the city had evacuated to Junon or Kalm, but a few plate dwellers refused to give up their homes.

            She jumped to a clear spot on the ground in front of a large wooden building, then realized what it was. She opened the great wooden doors and walked in, stepping over the large beds of flowers inside. She walked down the aisles of Aeris' church, marveling in the stillness and the quiet. She had never been here before, but Cloud had told her about how he first really met Aeris.

            At the back of the room, behind the short altar, was a door, with the faint outline of a keyhole in the middle. She stared at it a moment, blinking. _Cloud never mentioned this was here before,_ she thought. _Maybe Aeris kept treasure there, or something._ Deciding to find out, Yuffie put her hand to the keyhole. It began to shine with a bright light, forcing her to turn away as it did. When she looked back, the door had been outlined in the same light, and slowly started to open on its own, eliciting a loud creak and dust from the rafters..

            The young ninja peered around to the other side, almost afraid of what might be there. She stared at a great swirling mass of energy; as black as Sephiroth's cloak and twice as frightening. She shut the door quickly, fearful that the madman might come out of it. Forgetting about treasure, she ran back to the abandoned Shinra Tower where she knew her comrades would be.


	3. Liberi Fatali

Squall Leonhart was going to relax for the first time in a while. Rinoa Heartlilly lay in the passenger seat of the car, sleeping. He hadn't woken her since they left Deling City hours ago. As he drove towards Dollet he began to think. Ultimecia was gone, Edea had retired back to the orphanage with Headmaster Cid, and the Galbadian government had finally settled down. _There are no more threats to the world,_ he thought. _Unless you count Seifer, that is._ Along with the Disciplinary Committee, the former Sorceress' Knight had temporarily inherited leadership of Balamb Garden, the reasons of which were totally beyond Squall.

            Perhaps he would truly be able to rest now. _Perhaps peace will last long enough this time. Rinoa is safe, and more importantly alive, and free of any outside influences. My SeeD salary should be enough for both of us to subsist on, or so I hope._ Rinoa, who had been sleeping with her back to Squall, shifted onto her back, with her arms stretched towards the back of the car. _She's so adorable…_ He had remembered Selphie telling him about their Zodiac signs. Squall was born on August 23, making him a Virgo, and Rinoa on March 3, making her a Pisces. "The best compatability," she had said, but Squall didn't really believe in that. At the Garden victory party, when they were outside on the balcony, he knew that he had found his true love. _Nothing,_ he thought, _can ever take her away from me._

            Rinoa woke up some time later. She yawned and stretched her thin arms, bumping them on the roof of the car. Squall looked over at her and saw her smiling brightly at him. He couldn't help but smile back, despite his resistance.

            "Are we there yet?" she whined playfully. "Why couldn't we have taken the train?"

            "Because Galbadia appropriated all the trains for government use," he replied.

            "You mean they stole them." Rinoa still held a grudge against the Galbadia Garden, despite how many of them were being controlled by Edea.

            "And we need a car to get around the town. Besides, don't you think its more scenic?"

            "No." she said firmly. "I would much rather have seen the forests move by quickly than the plains move by slowly."

            "Well, you're out of luck."

            "Humph." She crossed her arms and turned away from him in mock-defiance. "So tell me what the house is like again."

            "Well, it's got a blue roof…" Squall had visited Dollet previously with Quistis and Selphie, both of whom were looking for similar residences. The city of Dollet had graciously allowed SeeD members free rent as long as they agreed to act as a sort of militia force in emergencies. Squall had no compunctions about being a constable, as long as it didn't involve killing. He had done enough of that in his lifetime. The two girls had backed out. Quistis had said something about not owing allegiance to anyone anymore. Squall had chosen a small duplex in the city's east section for the two of them to live. "…And it's got a stairway leading up to the bedroom." It was also very close to the police station, where Squall was to be working.

            "Are the others going to live nearby?" Rinoa asked wistfully.

            "Zell and Quistis are moving back to Balamb. Quistis was talking about keeping an eye on Seifer, or something." Rinoa chuckled. "Selphie and Irvine are going to have a house near Trabia. Selphie wants to help with the Garden reconstruction effort, and Irvine will go wherever she does." Rinoa chuckled again.

            "We'll have to visit them sometime."

            "And Laguna." Rinoa looked surprised.

            They finished the rest of the trip uneventfully. Rinoa chatted about Angelo (who was in a cage in the back seat) and how Zell had taught her how to throw punches. Squall remarked that she was better off using magic, which earned him one of the punches. _He's definitely warming up more…_ Rinoa thought. _Maybe there's hope for him yet._

            The couple arrived in Dollet and carried their luggage up to the apartment. Another house was directly below theirs, but looked vacant. Angelo immediately set to work finding every tree, bush and rock where any other dog had even walked by, then trotted up the stairs to see Rinoa.

            Squall immediately set his gunblade case on the highest shelf, where he knew Rinoa couldn't reach it. He hoped that he would never have to use the weapon again, for any reason. He had considered leaving it at Balamb with Zell, but Rinoa wouldn't let him. She wanted to be as safe as possible. They had enough Gil for a week's food and some clothes, but until his next paycheck came in they would have to sit on empty boxes.

            Rinoa put up some makeshift curtains and began to sweep the floors. She was so happy to be living in a town near the sea, and so close to some of her friends. She had gotten to know the tattooed boy well, but the stern teacher and her never seemed to connect. It was her belief that Zell wanted to be with Quistis out of loneliness rather than love. _After all,_ she thought, _Squall and I are together, and Irvine seems to be sincere in his feelings about Selphie, so where does that leave them?_ She continued cleaning as she mused about the handsome man on the floor above her. She was happy to be anywhere near him, living together or not.


	4. Flowers Blooming in the Church

Cloud sat in a large chair labeled "Heidigger." Around him at the table were, in order, Barret Wallace (_who needs a shower_), Vincent Valentine (_he spends a little too much time with his guns_), Cid Highwind (_isn't smoking outlawed in the building?_), Reeve (_umm… Reeve Sith?)_, Red XIII (_I like Nanaki better, I think_), and Tifa Lockheart (_who always seems to sit next to me_). The seat where Yuffie usually sat, between Nanaki and Reeve, was empty. Cait Sith stood behind Reeve, immobile. The Shinra executive was discussing something executive, but Cloud wasn't listening. He was thinking of going back to Sector 5 to try and find Aeris' mother, if she hadn't already left. Or maybe back to Icicle Village, to find clues about Ifalna. _So much to do…_ he thought. 

            Cloud remembered when they first encountered Cait Sith, before they met Reeve. He had casually asked him what his compatability with Aeris was. "Let's see… You were born August 19, right?" He never knew how the stuffed mog knew these things. "And she's… February 7… Leo and Aquarius are normally bad together," he had said, "but if they're of the opposite sex, then that gives them the best compatability!" He was happy to hear that. It meant that someone else out there wanted them together.

            "…So what do you think, Cloud?" Reeve asked.

            "Huh?" he snapped out of his reverie. He could see Tifa trying to get his attention, but he had been too far off to notice. "Umm… could you repeat the question?"

            Reeve sighed. "Should we send the Shinra soldiers from Junon to clean up the west continent, or should we send the remaining Midgar force?"

            "Well… I… ahh…" he faltered. "How many men do we have left here?"

            The doors suddenly flew open and Yuffie rushed in. _Thanks Yuffie,_ Cloud thought.

            "Guys! Guys!" she panted, out of breath from her run. "I've got something really important to show you!"

            "Calm down," Reeve said. "What is it?"

            "Well," she gasped. She was bent over at the waist, hands on her knees. She was trying to regain her composure as quickly as possible. "I was in Aeris' church," Cloud perked up, "and there was this door at the back, right? And it had this funny keyhole thingy on it, so I opened it…" she tried to muster the will to continue. "and there was this huge… black… THING behind it!"

            "Hmm…" Reeve said. "We'd better go have a look. Yuffie, you'll need to go again and show us. Cloud?" he gestured in the blonde man's direction. Reeve knew as well as anyone what Aeris had meant to him.

            "I'll go." He stood up.

            "Alright. Take Cait Sith with you." Reeve pulled out the puppet's control device. "I want to take a look myself."

            "Come on Cloud." Yuffie beckoned. "Let's get this over with."

            Sora and Riku stood outside the cave behind the trees.

            "It's true! I saw it with my own eyes!" Sora said.

            "You sure you didn't just hear it this time?" Riku seemed tired of Sora's games.

            "What difference does it make? There's a huge monster in there, I tell you!"

            "All right. Suppose there really is a monster… Think we can beat it all by ourselves, Sora?"

            "No problem. Let's do it!" A low, rumbling groan came from inside the cave. "Listen! There! Can you hear it growling?"
    
                "Shh, quiet. We've gotta be careful." They stepped quietly into the cave, Riku first. Sora stayed close to the older boy, but still didn't rule out running away.
    
                Riku saw no creatures and admonished: "See that? It was just the wind making that noise."
    
                "Aw, man. I wish it was a monster!" His attention turned to the large door at the end of the cave. "Hold on! What's that over there?"
    
                Riku noticed it as well. "A window, or maybe a door?" He went over to it and attempted to pull it open. "It won't open."
    
                "Geez, is that really all that's in here?"
    
                "What do you expect in a boring place like this?" Riku kicked a nearby rock. "Hey, Sora."
    
                "Hm?" the brown haired kid looked up.
    
                "When we grow up, let's get off this island. We'll go on real adventures, not this kid stuff!" Sora could sense the seriousness in his voice.
    
                "Sure. But isn't there anything fun to do now?" He suddenly remembered something. "Hey, you know the new girl at the mayor's house?"


	5. Eyes on Me

Squall and Rinoa sat on the roof of their house, watching the night sky. There was a meteor shower going on, but it was strange since Squall hadn't heard anything about it on TV.

            "That was beautiful." Rinoa lay back on the roof, watching the still-falling specks of light. Squall looked at her, then took her hand in his. Rinoa was surprised by this.

            "Rinoa…" Squall seemed to be searching for his words.

            "Yes Squall?"

            "I've been thinking lately…"

            "Oh no," she teased. "About what?"

            "Do you remember when we were in space?"

            "How could I forget, silly?" She turned on her side to face him. "I DID almost die, remember?"

            "What were you thinking when you first saw me there?"

            She paused for a moment, then sat up. "I thought: here's my knight in shining armor to save me." She looked down. "I never expected to see you there at all."

            "Really?"

            "Yeah. I mean, you had been such a jerk to me and everyone else on our team. I was ready to die out there without anyone saving me. I thought it would be more likely to see Seifer there than you, Squall." Her last sentence sounded half-sarcastic.

            "Oh…" Squall had never thought of that before. "I'm sorry I was so mean to you."

            "That's okay. I don't hold it against you." Squall sighed. A long silence settled over the couple as the last few meteors fell.

            Rinoa began to shiver. She wanted to go inside, and Squall consented. As he closed the roof hatch, she let Angelo back inside and locked the doors. This was to be their first night in the apartment, and their first night together.

            Squall had been nervous about this night ever since he and Rinoa had agreed to live together. _What if I make her arm fall asleep?_ he thought. _What if I don't smell good enough?_ Zell had told him just to relax and not worry (_Like he has any experience with this_). He had even received (not asked for) Irvine's advice, which was "Never get up for the bathroom, no matter what." That hadn't helped anything. He decided to go with Zell and just relax.

            When he entered the bedroom, Rinoa had already set up the futon and had lain down. She was dressed in a dark blue, full-length nightshirt, stripped of her jewelry and wristbands. Thankfully for him, she had made the dog sleep on the floor. Squall had taken off his fur jacket and belts, and was left wearing a pair of sweatpants and his shirt. He pulled the covers up to his arms, lying on his back. Rinoa turned on her side and draped her arm across his chest. _She doesn't seem nervous at all,_ he thought. He could feel her warm breath on his neck as he put his arm around her. As the dog began to snore quietly, Squall felt himself slowly drift off into a peaceful and sound sleep.


	6. Great Warrior

Cloud found himself in front of the most meaningful place in Midgar again. Yuffie was still navigating over the rubble, making sure that the less agile Cait Sith made it in one piece. Cloud saw something black moving in the corner of his eye, but dismissed it as nothing. With the ninja and the puppet flanking him, he started towards the old building. Cloud opened the door with the tip of his sword, uncertain of what he might find. The others had their weapons drawn; Yuffie's knees were knocking as she readied her shuriken, and the cat was holding his megaphone.

            To Yuffie's relief, the door was closed again, but the keyhole still remained.

            "Hmm…" Cait Sith said. "Fascinating. It's a pity we don't have any Shinra scientists left," he mused.

            Cloud walked up to the door, overwhelmed by memories. He could barely make out the outline of his body from when he fell into the flowerbed, and marveled at how they were all alive and healthy, despite not receiving any care in months. He put his hand up to the keyhole as Yuffie had instructed, and the door opened just as it had for the young ninja. Behind it was the same swirling mass of energy. Cloud was in awe.

            "Wow…" Cait Sith was recording the image for Reeve to watch later. "Could this be related to the Planet somehow?"

            "I doubt it…" Cloud said. "It doesn't feel like Mako or Lifestream energy." He timidly outstretched his left hand towards the energy, feeling an increase in heat as he did so.

            "I don't know if that's such a good idea!" Yuffie squeaked.

            Ignoring her, Cloud found his hand wracked by spasms of pain, which quickly spread to the rest of his body. Lightning jumped between him and the door, which closed quickly as Cloud was blown backwards onto the flowerbed. His body was smoking, and a faint glow of energy could still be seen around his body. The ex-SOLDIER was trying his best to keep from screaming, but was failing fast. Yuffie ran up to him and tried to touch him, but was met with a strong static shock.

            "Reeve!" she called to the puppet. "Get a medical team down here now!" The young ninja glimpsed Cloud's hand for a moment, and screamed. Despite his will, Cloud passed out from the pain.

            He awoke to find himself lying on an operating table. The first thing he saw was a girl with green eyes, but they quickly became crimson. Tifa was standing over him, a worried expression on her face.

            "He's awake." she spoke to someone to his left.

            "Good. I'm just about finished." Cloud recognized that cold voice.

            "Tifa…" Cloud croaked. "What happened to me?"

            She looked down on him and smiled. "Well, Cait Sith carried you back here after you passed out. The medical teams couldn't touch you with all that energy. Your… um… hand… is…"

            "Let him see for himself." Cloud could see Vincent standing to his left, working with something mechanical near his hand. The gunman picked his arm up and brought Cloud's bionic, clawed hand into view.

            Cloud's head swam. "What did you do to me?" he demanded.

            "Your hand had been withered and desiccated by some unknown energy." Vincent replied coolly. "Either you could have gotten a gun-arm attachment like Barret, or receive a mechanical hand like mine."

            "Why can't I move it?"

            "Your neurons haven't bonded successfully with the bionic matrix. This will help speed the process." Vincent readied a syringe filled with a light green fluid, and Cloud could feel the familiar prick in his arm. Slowly feeling started to return in his "hand." "Now we have more in common than our hate of Shinra."

            He tried to sit up using his arms, but quickly finding that he couldn't, asked Tifa to help him the rest of the way. He held up the mass of metal that was to serve as his hand and studied it. Unlike Vincent's claw hand, his contained the same bone structure and number of a normal hand, only composed of a shiny golden metal. His fingers were tapered into sharp claws, and below his wrist were the two studded bangles he usually wore. The seam started above the bangles, and seemed to run through the middle of them. Vincent had done a good job, at least.

            "Be careful with it," the gunman warned. "Don't try to hug Tifa and end up impaling her." Cloud was surprised at the dark man's attempt at humor.

            "I think I'll be noticing this for a while." Vincent packed up his tools and walked towards the door quietly. Tifa stopped the gunman and whispered thanks before he left, leaving Cloud and Tifa alone in the room.

            "So what does it feel like?" she ventured.

            "It feels like my hand's asleep," he said, shaking his hand. "I can't fully move it yet, but it feels strangely... familiar."

            "I'm sorry this happened to you," she said, dejected. "I feel like I should have been there to protect you."

            "It wasn't your fault," he reassured her. "There was nothing you could have done anyway."

            Tifa suddenly wrapped her arms around his torso and hugged him. Cloud was assailed with the sweet smell of her hair and the softness of her skin. He was frozen in position for a moment, before lightly resting his arms on her back.

            With her head buried in his chest, she murmured: "I love you Cloud Strife…"


	7. Waltz for the Moon

Squall awoke to pounding on the door of his apartment. Taking care not to disturb Rinoa (who was already stirring because of the pounding), he dressed and went to the door. After undoing the locks, he opened the door to find an exasperated Zell, wearing an expression of concern and fear.

            "Zell!" Squall shook hands with his old partner. "What brings you here?"

            "No time for explanations, dude." He peered over Squall's shoulder, trying to see Rinoa. "Is she here too?"

            "Yeah, why?"

            "Seifer has called an emergency SeeD meeting in a few hours. He says it's really important. Your phone was out, so I had to come here myself."

            "I see." He contemplated for a moment even going. "Did you come by ship?"

            "Yeah. We're docked at the East Beach. Don't stay too long, 'kay?"

            "I need to talk to Rinoa first. We'll meet you as soon as we can."

            "Right. See ya."

            Squall closed the door. He put on his fur jacket and belts and opened the closet where the gunblade lay. He reached his hand up, then hesitated.

            "Take it with you." He turned to find Rinoa, fully dressed, strapping on her wrist launcher. "Just to be safe."

            "Why do I have to fight?" he asked, half-rhetorically.

            "Don't be like that," she chided. "For all we know, he may want us to round up an escaped flock of chocobos." She looked into his eyes, hoping to comfort him. "Let's just see what he wants, alright?"

            "Alright." He placed the weapon in its holster and embraced the small woman. "Did you sleep well?"

            "Next to you, who wouldn't?" She closed her eyes right before he kissed her softly. Rinoa felt her body go limp as he held her. "Let's get back safely so this won't be our last kiss."

            "Definitely." He started towards the door. "Let's go."

            "So how's it been?" Zell asked. They were sitting in a SeeD ship, piloted by Quistis. 

            "Okay." Rinoa responded. "How have you and Quistis been getting along?"

            "We're alright. We have separate mattresses, though," he whispered.

            Squall spoke up. "Does this make you the ultimate Trepie?"

            "Heh heh… not quite." He seemed embarrassed. The couple decided to leave the subject alone.

            "Have you heard from Selphie or Irvine?" Rinoa asked.

            "No, not in a couple of weeks. They should be at the meeting, though."

            "Any idea what it's about?" Squall asked, hoping for the best.

            "Nope. Seifer wouldn't say. Fujin kept mumbling about 'SHADOWS…' or something." Squall absently touched his scar upon mention of Seifer's name.

            They entered the Garden courtyard and made their way to the Headmaster's Office. Seifer stood where Cid once sat, in front of Fujin, Raijin, Irvine, and Selphie, while Zell, Squall, Rinoa, and Quistis filed in. After a minute of shaking hands by the men and hugging by the women (except Fujin) Seifer began.

            "Let me start off by saying that I'm glad all of you could make it." He cleared his throat. "I know I don't live up to Headmaster Cid, but I feel like I can fulfill this office without him…"

            Raijin interrupted. "Boss, don't you think we should skip to the destruction part?"

            "AGREED." Fujin added.

            "Right. Well, recently our informants in Deling City have reported strange creatures sprouting up all over the area. Informants in Trabia…"

            "Me!" Selphie blurted out.

            Seifer continued unnoticing. "…have confirmed this, and reported similar activity in their own area."

            "What sorta creatures are we talkin' about?" asked Irvine.

            "Well…" Seifer opened a small terminal on the desk. "They look very similar to this." As everyone crowded around the screen, they saw a small, squat creature, completely black without any identifying marks save for two glowing yellow eyes. Small antennae adorned its head, and its hands seemed like small, but sharp claws. Its feet were long and pointy, and though the image was still, Squall could visualize how it moved.

            "They've been named 'Shadows,'" Seifer spoke up, "because that's what they are. They seem to be attracted to all living creatures, not just humans." He shifted the image to a frightening one of a creature cornering a SeeD. "When they kill," he continued, "the person's entire body vanishes, without any sort of residue or vapor. What's especially frightening is that apparently anyone who is killed by one, becomes one."

            "So how are we supposed to help?" Squall asked flippantly. He was hoping it wouldn't have come to this. "This doesn't fall under my jurisdiction as a Dollet police officer."

            "Dammit Leonhart!" Seifer slammed his fist on the table in anger, as the screen blinked off. "This isn't about jurisdiction! It's about human lives! There are NO MORE citizens in Deling City! The entire town has been completely wiped out! You're all the top-ranking SeeD's in the world, and we need your help!"

            "There better be a little more added to my salary for this."

            "Squall," Rinoa tugged at his sleeve and whispered. "Why aren't you more eager to protect people?"

            "I never want to destroy again," he replied coldly. "No mater if it's a Galbadian soldier or a creepy black thing."

            "I'm surprised at you," Rinoa continued. "I didn't know you could be so heartless."

            That word awakened a memory in Squall, but he didn't know what it was or where it was from. He sighed, then looked at Seifer. "We agree…"

            "Good," he replied. "Glad to see she can talk some sense into you." Squall glared at him. "We'll divide into three teams, each of which will attack a different sector." From the screen he conjured a map of Deling City. "Leonhart, you and Heartlilly will take Dincht and enter by the northern road." He turned to Quistis. "Trepe, you take Tilmitt and Kinneas and come in by the northeastern coast. Fujin, Raijin, and I will come in by the south road. Is everyone clear on the mission?" All eight heads nodded, Squall's only barely. "Alright. Make sure you stock up on magic and put your GF's in order. We leave in two hours."


	8. Always On My Mind

Sora knocked on the door to the mayor's house. Riku was tying up the boat as Sora yelled:

            "He-ey Mister Mayor! Can we come in?" There was no response. The afternoon sun was setting slowly as bugs began to buzz about. The mayor had a whole island to himself, with enough room for his vegetable gardens and flocks of chickens. Sora called and yelled again as Riku walked up behind him. Sora heard a shuffling sound and someone's voice mumbling. The door opened to reveal the mayor of the Destiny Islands.

            He was a head and a half taller than Riku, and dressed in a silver-blue jacked and brown pants. He wore a dark blue tie over an off white shirt, the collar turned upward. He had a bushy moustache that covered his entire mouth, and was badly in need of a trim. His shoes were shined and neat, though Sora always noticed how his socks never matched.

            "Oh, boys!" he said jovially. "How nice of you to visit. Please, come in!" He led them into the parlor of his huge house and sat them down in two overstuffed armchairs, one bright green and the other a faded yellow. Riku sat up straight, his hands in his lap, but Sora relaxed and reclined back.

            "Would either of you boys like something to drink?" the mayor called from the kitchen.

            "Umm… some orange juice for me, please." Sora replied.

            "Just water, please." Riku responded. Sora noticed how Riku always "stiffened up" when he was around an authority figure.

            "So," the mayor said, returning with the drinks. "What brings you two here today?"

            Before Riku could speak, Sora blurted out: "We came to see the new girl that's living here!"

            Riku looked embarrassed, but the mayor didn't seem fazed at all. "Oh, absolutely! Let me go see if I can find her." He got out of the seat that he had sat down in only moments before.

            "Kai-ri!" he called.

            _Kairi,_ Sora thought. _What a pretty name…_

            Sora sipped his juice while Riku drank his water. Oddly the boys were silent for as long as the mayor was gone. Sora glanced over at him only to see the silver-haired boy staring straight ahead, unmoving.

            The mayor returned shortly, standing in the doorway. He stepped out, gesturing to the young girl to follow. She peered around the corner cautiously, and looked directly at Sora.

            Her red hair hung down to her shoulders, and seemed expertly combed. As she stepped out further, Sora could see more and more of her. A black choker circled her neck, and a small white pendant hung underneath it. She wore a small gold wristband that hung loosely, over her long-sleeved purple shirt. A long lavender dress went down to her ankles, pleated along the bottom with a star pattern. She wore no shoes, and seemed to be used to it from the way she stood.

            "Hi," she said timidly, her eyes darting between the two boys. "My name's Kairi."


	9. Lurking in the Darkness

"Look at the sky," Tifa said. She had just returned with Cloud's dinner, and was looking out the window. Cloud got up and stood beside her, watching the meteor shower.

            "Nanaki didn't say anything about this…" Tifa whispered. Cloud noticed that some meteors were different colors, and some seemed to be larger than others.

            "Tifa…" Cloud spoke softly.

            "Yes Cloud?"

            "Where do you think the world will go now?"

            "What do you mean?" She set down the food tray and drew close to the blonde man, who was still staring out the window.

            "I mean, Meteor is gone, and so is Sephiroth, but something could threaten us at any moment…"

            "You're still worried about that door, aren't you?"

            "Yes." He looked at his hand, then back out the window.

            "I don't know… Maybe we can start rebuilding Midgar, and open the bar back up. You could work there with Barret and I." Her voice dropped suddenly. "Or maybe…" She turned to face Cloud, who turned as well. Their lips met; Cloud's eyes opened wide in shock. _What am I doing?_ he thought. _This isn't Aeris…_ His thoughts of resistance were quickly put to rest as Tifa continued to kiss him.

            Cid was strolling through the street, keeping an eye out for curfew violators. He was still mad at Reeve for giving him a constable post and not one of pilot, but he wasn't about to turn away from a paycheck, no matter how small. He had seen the meteor shower, but wasn't highly concerned with it. A small blue block hit him on the head with a resounding thud, and he quickly became much more involved.

            "What the hell?" he yelled, looking around until he spied the object. It was perfectly cubical, and colored a solid blue, though it was translucent at the edges and corners. Squeezing it in his hand, he found it slightly pliant, but still very firm. It gave off no smell that he could sense, and felt perfectly smooth on all sides. He saw another object fall 10 feet away, this one green and cylindrical. He held one in each hand, and unconsciously found the two pieces gravitating together. The flat end of the cylinder met a face of the cube and adhered, forming one larger piece.

            Suddenly his PHS rang, breaking his reverie. Grumbling, he answered it.

            "Hello?"

            "Cid, this is Reeve. You've probably noticed what's been falling from the sky…"

            "Yeah, I got a nice WELT ta show for 'em!"

            "Well, we've summoned every last Shinra employee from the science department left, and we need you too."

            "Ta do what?"

            "Analyze them and see what they're for."

            "Do I hafta stay on the streets?"

            "Nope."

            "I'll be there in 20 minutes."

            He stepped off the elevator onto the 68th floor. In the lobby were two people, one dressed in a sharp suit, the other in a lab coat and glasses.

            "Shera?" Cid balked.

            "Hello Captain." She looked embarrassed and shy to be with her old superior.

            "She is the remaining scientist." Reeve interrupted.

            "Why didn't ya tell me I'd be working with this…this…" he searched for the word. "…klutz!"

            "Because then you wouldn't have come," Reeve replied coolly. "Just try to put your differences aside for once and do this, okay?"

            "Ppff…" Cid retorted. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Reeve plucked the tube from his mouth and tossed it into a nearby receptacle.

            "No smoking on laboratory floors," he said as he did so.

            Turning to Reeve, Shera said: "Thank you, sir, for this opportunity to continue my work with the company."

            "The company doesn't exist anymore, Shera. If you want to ally yourself with anything, do it for the Planet." She nodded in understanding. "We're collecting the blocks as we speak," he continued. "You should be getting more in every day. I have another meeting, but I expect reports as often as you can give them." He walked into the elevator and the door closed behind him, leaving a very awkward reunion behind him.


	10. Tell Me

Squall and Rinoa were in his old dorm room, deciding what GF's to junction to what. It had been an hour since the meeting, and the couple's conversation turned to the mission.

            "I've dreamed about this before," Rinoa said abruptly.

            "What do you mean?" Squall asked, surprised. "About this mission?"

            "Yes." She gazed downwards. "These aren't like the monsters we've fought before. Not even during the Lunar Cry. They're stronger… and much more numerous. I've dreamt about great death and destruction because of this mission…"

            "Do you think any one of us will die?"

            "I can't tell. I do know that it will be one of the greatest battles we've ever fought." She looked very dejected.

            "You don't have to go," Squall said. "We can run away, to Esthar or the Shumi Village."

            "No, Squall." Rinoa placed her hand on his face. "If I've learned anything from our journey, it's that we can't escape our destiny."

            Zell sat in the passenger seat, chatting away about hotdogs and girls with pigtails. Rinoa was in the back seat, strangely quiet. Squall wore his usual expression of diffidence, hiding his concern for Rinoa. He was only half listening to Zell, and half listening for Rinoa. They passed the barricades near Deling City easily, Squall's face serving as their identification. The younger SeeD guards asked for the swordsman's autograph, but they were denied as Squall drove on.

            The SeeDs got out of the car to an eerie sight. The streets of the city were completely empty save for paper and leaves blowing in the wind. They walked through the streets slowly, watching for any attackers. Rinoa held her magic ready while the two men brandished their weapons.

            Silently, two yellow eyes appeared in the shadow of a building. A creature rose from the floor and materialized, its antennae twitching towards the SeeDs. It slunk along between the shadows, up to a large black creature. It wore a plate-like hat on its head, and broken shackles on its arms. Armor was placed over its huge belly, and was pitted with tiny chinks. It was snoring quietly, until the small creature jumped onto its head and then onto its belly. Waking up, the large creature noticed the smaller one and their eyes met. Suddenly the creature got up and scratched its head for a minute, then waddled off, the small creature still on its shoulder.

            Squall heard a noise and shot a Fire spell towards it. He could hear a rat screaming as it burned, but paid no further attention to it. Suddenly they all heard a noise that sounded like the scratching of a thousand claws, but couldn't see anything or anyone around them. While the two men scanned the rooftops for enemies, Rinoa edged closer to Squall as she saw the hundreds of yellow eyes appear on the floor.


	11. Bustin' Up on the Beach

"Kairi!" Sora called to the young girl. "Catch!" He pulled off a coconut from the tree he was climbing and threw it down to the little girl, who added it to her pile. "Do you think we need anymore?"

            "I don't know, let me go ask Riku!" the girl yelled back. "You get some bananas while I'm gone!

            "Alright!" Sora yelled.

            Kairi ran down the beach towards the older boy, who was catching fish with a net and spear. Before she could ask her question, he answered it.

            "We should have plenty," he said, tossing a fish in the net. The young girl looked at him quizzically. "I heard."

            "Oh, I see. So-ra!" she called across the island. The brown haired boy looked up from the tree, and saw the red-haired girl giving him the thumbs-up sign.

            Dusk grew near as they worked with the coconuts. Riku would pick up one, crack it open on a rock, then hand it to Sora. He would drain out the milk into a large pot, then hand it to Kairi, who would scoop out the meat into a bowl. They did this to every coconut, occasionally snacking on bananas.

            Riku started a fire and began to roast the fish, while Sora boiled the coconut milk. Kairi was off in the bushes picking berries when Sora said:

            "She's really nice, isn't she?"

            "Yeah," Riku replied. "I'm glad I thought of bringing her with us."

            "But… It was my…" Sora fell silent. He knew not to argue with the older boy when he "claimed" an idea. _That's okay,_ he thought, smiling to himself. _I'll get him later…_

            The fire illuminated the faces of the three children. Tidus and Wakka had left for their house hours ago, and now it was just the boys and their new friend. Riku pulled a fish out of the fire and placed it on folded up banana leaves. Sora poured coconut milk on it while Kairi sprinkled mixed coconut meat and berries on top. The three ate and laughed and chatted long into the night.

            "So Kairi," Sora asked, in between bites. "What island are you from?"

            The young girl hesitated a moment before answering. "I… don't know where I'm from…"

            "What do you mean?" Riku asked.

            "My earliest memory is waking up outside the mayor's house." She began to shiver softly. "It was raining, and I was so cold." She edged closer to the fire. "I must have been crying so loud that the mayor heard me and brought me in. He asked me the same question, and I honestly couldn't tell him." Sora looked at Riku with concern on his face. "It's like everything before that moment is blocked off to my mind. I just don't know…"

            She was still shivering, and Sora put a blanket over her shoulders. Riku glared secretly at him. After a moment, her tears stopped and she forced her mood to change.

            "So what else do you guys do for fun?"

            "Well, we've explored almost every bit of this island," Sora said, unsure of how to deal with her change in emotion.

            "We also fight," Riku added.

            "You… fight?" Kairi asked.

            "Yeah," Sora continued. "With wooden swords. Tidus uses a stick, though, and Wakka uses his Blitzball."

            "Sora's never beaten me, though," Riku stated, while the brown haired boy showed mocking faces to the young girl.

            "Let's go to the secret place tomorrow!" Sora chirped.

            "Why can't we go now?" Kairi asked.

            "Once the moon rises we have to go home," Riku said. He pointed at the ball in the sky, which Kairi noticed was the same color as the boy's hair.

Riku put out the fire while Sora and Kairi wrapped up the leftovers. They divided it between themselves and placed it in their boats. There were only two; Wakka had picked Kairi up before coming to the island for the day.

Kairi got in one boat as both boys did as well.

            "What are you doing?" Sora demanded. "I'm going to take her home!"

            "No you're not," Riku countered. "I'm older, and you'd probably get lost in the dark."

            "Yeah right! I'm a better rower than you are!"

            Kairi was the only one who noticed that the boat was steadily sinking under the weight of all three kids. Each boat was designed for one person, though Wakka's could hold two, but any of them would sink after three.

            Sora felt the water around the edges of his sandals, and looked down at the boat. He glanced at Kairi, who looked down as well, wearing a frightened expression. He turned to Riku, who hadn't noticed anything due to his closed shoes. Noticing Sora's worried face, he looked down too. Both boys instantly leapt to the dock, leaving Kairi in a still-sinking boat. The force of their jumps tipped the boat on its side, spilling Kairi into the water.        

            Riku landed gracefully on the wooden pier, but Sora had missed and landed in the water. Scrambling up to meet Riku, they both spied the floundering girl. It was clear from her gesticulations that she couldn't swim and needed saving.

            Both boys looked at each other for an instant and knew what must be done. Whoever rescued Kairi got to take her home. Both boys darted off the pier as fast as they were able as the moon shone down upon them.


	12. The Nightmare's Beginning

Cid was frustrated. He took a bite of his sandwich and stared at the multicolored blocks before him. Shera had managed to scrape off some flakes and was analyzing them under a microscope. Cid was tasked with testing what blocks adhered to what, and what purpose each served.

            The aging pilot took a drag of his cigarette as he picked up a block the size of his head. It was shaped like a cube, save for a large cone, the narrow end of which was sticking out of one face.

            _This looks like some kinda engine,_ he thought. Another one, twice as large as the "engine" block, had a large dome on top of its cube form. The dome appeared to be a sort of dirty glass, so Cid wiped it off with his handkerchief. Inside were three seats, small enough to place a materia nicely.

            "How the hell d'ya sit in this…" Cid mumbled.

            "Did you find something, Captain?" Shera didn't turn from the microscope.

            "Naw, it's nothin'. You get back to work."

            "Alright, Captain."

            Cid made a mental note to tell her to stop calling him that. He decided to stick the two blocks together and see what happened. As the two touched each other, a flash emanated from them. Shera turned just in time to see Cid pushed up against the wall by blocks 20 times their normal size. 

"Captain!" She dropped the slide she was carrying and ran to Cid's side.

            "Git… me… OUTTA HERE!" the pilot bellowed. Shera pulled on his free arm, despite his subsequent cursing of pain.

            With a mighty yank, she pulled Cid free while falling to the ground herself. Shera felt another shock as the pilot fell on top of her. They lay there a moment looking into another's eyes, before Cid scrambled off of her, sitting on the ground. His face turned bright red as Shera stood up, brushing herself off.

            "Well," the mousy woman said, pushing up her glasses. "Looks like we have something to report…"

            Cloud was standing on the deck of the Highwind, his right arm around Tifa's shoulder. Yuffie was somewhere inside the ship, bucket in hand. Reeve had sent them to observe the cleanup crews and make sure they did their jobs. After Cloud was manipulated by Sephiroth, Reeve couldn't risk giving any more of Shinra's employees Mako poisoning.

            Red XIII, Barret and Vincent had been dispatched in another, smaller airship to Mideel and the southeastern part of the globe, while Cloud's group was sent to Icicle Village and North Crater. Yuffie had asked to go to Wutai, but Cloud wouldn't allow it.

            Tifa's unbound hair blew in the wind as she drew closer to Cloud. He looked down at the woman who had been with him since the beginning of his ordeal. His lips still tingled from the kiss that they shared, but he still wasn't certain if it was the right thing. After all, Aeris was dead, but that didn't mean he couldn't have feelings for her. He wondered if Tifa could sense his grief over the dead Ancient, and whether he should ever tell her.

            They passed over Bone Village, counting the number of transport ships that had docked there. Suddenly the warning alarm rang, and the copilot's voice came over the intercom.

            "Sir," the voice sounded frightened. "I think you should come up to the bridge and see this…"

            Tifa and Cloud broke their embrace and walked up the stairway to the bridge, beckoning Yuffie as they passed her, slumped over against a wall.

            "What is it?" The blonde man sounded slightly annoyed from being interrupted.

            "Umm… There's some sort of… activity over North Crater."

            "What kind of activity?" Tifa asked.

            "Take a look, ma'am." The main screen displayed the large North Crater, only with a giant sphere of black, swirling energy hovering above it.

            Tifa gasped. Cloud said: "It looks just like…"

            "That door!" Yuffie continued.

            "Only much larger…" Cloud finished.

            Pieces of the surrounding terrain were being sucked up and swallowed by the huge globe, and Cloud could faintly see small black "drops" falling off of it.

            "Open communication to Midgar," Cloud commanded.

            "Yessir!" The screen changed to show a distressed Reeve's face.

            "We've got a problem…" Cloud said gravely.


	13. SUCCESSION OF WITCHES

The other two SeeD teams had arrived and were making their way through the city to their meeting place in the center. None of them had seen one another, or anything for that matter, except for Squall's.

            Hundreds of "Shadows" had appeared all around them, but they didn't move right away. They all rocked back and forth on their feet, as if they were sensing the SeeD's strengths. Squall glanced between his teammates, who were looking unsteady, Rinoa especially. As his head was turned towards the Sorceress, one of the beings lunged for him, causing his head to quickly swivel around and bring the gunblade to follow it.

            As his sword cleaved through one of them, it dissolved into nothing. In doing so, a small, crystalline-looking heart shaped object escaped the dying creature and floated into the sky before fading away. The other creatures took this opportunity and started to swarm towards them. Rinoa released a Thundara spell while Zell began to crush the creatures with his fists.

            Each SeeD seemed to be faring well, but the creatures were not abating in ferocity or number. Squall glanced over at Rinoa again, who was firing her Pinwheel through a group of monsters. He felt a sharp pain in his arm and realized that a creature was digging into him with its claws. Squall aimed his other hand at it and cast Blizzard, decimating the creature from such a short range.

            He killed the pain with a Cura, but the wound didn't seal itself. _Should have brought Curaga,_ he thought briefly. He readied his gunblade with his good arm and continued to attack.

            "Leonhart!" Seifer's rough voice came into Squall's ears, and he looked up to see the fellow gunblade user run towards him, flanked by his Disciplinary Committee. They were destroying creatures as they proceeded, until they reached Squall.

            "Are you all right Leonhart?" Seifer held his blade above him and ducked slightly as a Shadow lunged on top of him, getting destroyed in the process.

            "Yeah. Have you seen Rinoa?" He slashed behind him, eliminating an encroaching creature.

            "THERE." Fujin said, firing her Blaster Edge through a black being towards her. Squall followed the trail of her weapon to see his girlfriend besieged by Shadows.

            "Leonhart, give me your magic." Seifer demanded, destroying another.

            "Why?" Squall jumped aside as one tried to dive on him. He kicked it clear as it touched the ground.

            "I used it up on the way here…" Seifer said, slightly embarrassed. He bent over as a creature flew over his back. Squall destroyed it as it sailed towards him.

            "Fine, just take it." He stepped forward after the strike, grabbing the man's hand as he did. The spells drained away from him along with his Junctions, and he felt slightly weaker. He quickly left Seifer and ran towards Rinoa, hacking through the creatures as though they were dense undergrowth.

            "Rinoa!" As he ran, he tried to Draw off a large-bodied creature that had wandered onto the battlefield, in hopes of getting some useful magic. The spell rebounded, so he struck it with his gunblade, pulling the trigger to release an explosive force. As he bounced off the creature he noticed the large deep cut accompanied by a round scorch mark before successfully attempting the Draw again.

            The waves of energy that usually accompanied a Draw spell were black, but Squall did not hesitate. As he absorbed the spells, he felt a sharp pain in his chest, causing him to double over.

            He looked up to the black-haired woman, who began to run towards him. As she did, a large glimmering portal appeared behind her. She turned backwards to see a tall green-skinned woman with a long black cloak and horns on her head emerge, floating above the ground. She lifted the staff in her hand as a green glow emanated from the crystal atop it. Rinoa rose into the air, paralyzed, and floated towards the portal.

            "RINOA!" Squall screamed, but his voice didn't come out. The pain in his chest began to spread outward; a cold numbing sensation paralyzing him as well. He collapsed on the street, unable to move at all. As the numbing spread up his neck, he could feel the ground buckle underneath him. He was ripped from the ground and flung helplessly towards a large ball of dark energy before completely blacking out. His last sight was his true love being taken by a black-robed witch.


	14. Precious Stars in the Sky

Sora rowed back to his house alone. Riku had made it into the boat with Kairi before Sora could even get to her. He could see their boat off in the distance and muttered a childish curse.

            His mother greeted him from the kitchen as he took off his wet clothes, slipping into a bathrobe.

            "Did you go swimming tonight, dear?" Sora figured she must have heard the wet thud of his clothes on the floor.

            "No," he replied sourly. "Riku and I got into another fight." _I can't tell her we were arguing over a girl,_ he thought.

            "Well, I hope someday you two learn to get along," she said, half-teasing. "Did you eat?"

            "Yeah mom, I'm fine." He went up to his room, leaving a pile of clothes in the entryway.

            He lay out on his bed and stared out the window, towards their play island. He had fought long and hard to keep the island from being turned into a fishing outpost by the adults, mainly because of its proximity to his house. The kids that played there had named him the official guardian; if anything went wrong there he was to be the first to investigate.

            Now that Kairi had arrived he could sense Riku's attitude changing. He was becoming overly protective of the young girl, almost to the point of excluding Sora from their fun. Sora had to admit, though, that he really really liked the red-haired orphan. _I don't think I know what love is yet,_ he thought, _and I'm definitely not old enough to kiss,_ he cringed slightly at the word,  _but I'm sure that's what I feel._

            Suddenly a star went out. It grew very bright before gradually getting dimmer, until it winked out completely. _That was strange,_ he thought. _I've never seen that before…_ He noticed that other stars were getting dimmer just as that one had, all across the sky.

            Sora began to wonder what other worlds were out there, not islands in the ocean, but in the ocean of stars. He sighed as he dreamt of he and Kairi sailing among the stars, exploring new lands and finding great treasures. Comforted by this fantasy, he found himself drifting off to sleep. He gazed out the window one final time to see one star in particular that was barely lit at all.


	15. You Can Hear the Cry of the Planet

Reeve ordered Cloud's airship to stay where it was. Before he could finish, though, gunshots could be heard and Reeve turned to face something off the screen, horrified. The transmission ended abruptly, leaving the group helpless.

            "So what do we do," Tifa asked expectantly.

            "I don't know," Cloud replied, shrugging his shoulders like he had done a million times before.

            "Let's go down there and destroy it once and for all!" Yuffie cried enthusiastically, belying her airsick tendencies. "Can we do that?" she added, uncertain.

            Cloud glanced back towards the Crater, watching the surrounding area being eaten up. "It seems to be destroying the area around it…" He turned to the helmsman and nodded. "We've got to do something otherwise we might not have a Planet to protect." The two women expressed their approval.

            They parachuted down to the outskirts of the massive crater; the helmsman was unwilling to try and land the ship. They knew Barret's group was too far away to be reached in time, so they decided to go alone. Cloud had his favorite Fire materia linked to an Elemental, ready to create a flaming Buster Sword at a moment's notice. He also had a Cover materia stuck in his pauldron, along with the White Materia, unbeknownst to anyone. Tifa had the Choco/Mog red materia in her beloved Metal Knuckle, as well as a Steal, just in case. Yuffie had kept her Throw materia in her Shuriken along with a Restore linked to an All, also just in case.

            The first thing they saw upon landing was a strange-looking creature, humanoid in shape and about as short as Cait Sith. It wore a strange helmet that enveloped its entire head, leaving a space for its yellow eyes and presumably its mouth. A band of metal encircled its wrists; its fingers tipped with long red talons. A strange crest shaped vaguely like a heart was emblazoned on its chest. It turned to face the warriors, moving jerkily back and forth.

            It lunged towards Tifa, but ran headlong into Cloud's sword, held in a parrying position. Cloud slashed upwards before the creature could hit the ground, causing it to dissolve into a black vapor. As it did, a small, crystalline-looking heart shaped object escaped the dying creature and floated into the sky before fading away. Yuffie screamed as the floors and walls of the Crater were filled with tiny yellow eyes. Smaller, squat creatures began to emerge; completely black without any identifying marks save for two glowing yellow eyes. Small antennae adorned its head, and its hands seemed like small, but sharp claws. Its feet were long and pointy, and Cloud noticed how it moved erratically like its larger cousin. More of the armored beings appeared as well, forming a barrier between them and the energy ball.

            Yuffie was pelting them with ninja stars when the ground began to rumble, and the three AVALANCHE members were thrown to their feet. 

            The blocks had been moved out of the laboratory and into the airship hanger. Cid had discovered that hundreds of blocks could be merged together, but once an "engine" block and a "cockpit" block (as he had named them) joined each other, the collection would expand. Without both, it would stay as small as a model. A shipment had come in from Corel of wing-shaped blocks, and Cid knew they must form some sort of ship.

            He had the Highwind in mind when he designed it, of course. He hadn't been away from his baby this long since he met Cloud, and it was beginning to wear on him. He had chosen primarily green and blue-colored blocks for the chassis; it had a long tapering front end like a sword, with most of the hardware in the back. He had discovered blocks shaped like radar dishes, and had placed these on top of the L-shaped pieces that made up the top layer. Beneath that were two long gray cylinders running parallel to the front piece, with two blocks between them that looked vaguely like engines, but with no output. On the back he had placed six engines, as many as he could find, and below the chassis he built a rectangular, arrow-shaped block, with quarter-circle shaped blocks on the sides. The center was empty, reserved for the cockpit, which he surrounded with slanted blocks.

            Cid stepped back after making sure a block was in place and marveled at his work. This was to be the first test-run, and though there was no reason why anything would go wrong, he had to admit he was a little afraid.       Shera was fiddling with a computer screen when Cid walked up to her. She turned to face the pilot, who placed a hand on the back of his neck.

            "Well Captain, are you ready?" she began.

            "I guess…" He looked like he was struggling with his words. "Shera…"

            "Yes Captain?"

            "First of all, stop calling me that."

            "Alright Cap…" she corrected herself. "Alright Cid.

            "Now, we don' know if this is just an airship or a spaceship, so if I can make it into space, you'll be going with me next time."

            "Really?" She was elated to finally be returning as well.

            "Yeah. But if this doesn't work…" He removed his faded, beloved flight jacket and placed it ceremoniously over her shoulders. "Just somethin' to… remember me by…" he blurted out.

            "I… don't know what to say, Captain…" Cid sighed inwardly. "I have full confidence that your mission will be a complete success."

            "Well, thanks Shera."

            The woman removed the final cockpit block from a covered glass dish and handed it to her captain. He placed it in the hole and ran towards her before he was blown back again. The ship expanded to its full size and Cid clambered up to the cockpit, dragging a bundle of clothes, food, and some materia, and holding his spear over his back.

            He placed these on the two "passenger" seats, himself sitting in the one before the controls. None of the buttons or switches had labels, so he had placed marked pieces of tape near each one. He pushed the red button marked "close" and the cockpit dome slid down, sealing him inside.

            Grasping the steering stick that reminded him of the Tiny Bronco, he hit the "engine on" button, causing the ship to shudder with energy. It lifted off the ground slowly as he pulled back on the stick, and pushed the throttle forward. Shera had opened the hangar door, overlooking the starry night sky.

            From behind the blast door, she whispered:

            "Good luck, Captain."

            The ship shot out of the hangar, streaking upwards into the sky. Cid was exhilarated by the power of his creation, barely looking back as Shera blew him a kiss.

            The energy ball was seeming to get bigger with every passing moment, as Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie tried to fend off the shadowy beings. The ground was steadily rumbling, causing all of the combatants to fall from time to time.

            Cloud barely had time to look up after righting himself before a huge black creature emerged from the ground. It was as large as a Weapon, with hair that seemed to wrap around it's head and a huge empty heart-shaped cavity in its chest. It raised its hands into the air, and the energy ball seemed to swirl faster while the ground began to break up.

            A powerful wind started to suck up everything around it; countless shadow beings went flying towards it helplessly, though they acted like this was just another day on the job. Tifa entrenched herself behind a huge rock, effectively shielding herself from the wind. Yuffie had done the same, but was struggling because of her lesser weight.

            Cloud was still fighting, seemingly oblivious to each development. He suddenly found himself thrown into the sky by the gusts of wind. His sword was wrenched from his grasp and streaked through the air, narrowly missing the giant creature.

            He grabbed onto a nearby rock with his metal hand, digging his fingers into the rock. If that thing destroyed my hand, he thought, imagine what it could do to all of me… I just hope Vincent's craftsmanship is good quality… He then noticed that the rock he had anchored himself to had Tifa hiding behind it.

            "Tifa!" He yelled, over the din of the gale.

            "Cloud!" She responded, standing up and turning to face him, extending her hand to his own.

            "Don't!…" He couldn't finish his sentence as Tifa was carried upward, no longer protected. "NO!" he yelled as the black haired woman was hurled upwards into the sky. "It's over…" he thought aloud.

            "I'm still here!" Yuffie chirped from behind her rock.

            "Yuffie! Where's Tifa?"

            "I don't know, I can't see her anywhere!"

            "No…" He felt his hand slipping, as it was running out of power. He suddenly remembered something.

            He pulled out the gleaming White Materia with his free hand, yelling "Catch!" to the young girl as he threw it towards her. Instinctively she leapt from her rock, grabbed the white orb, and tumbled in front of the rock where Tifa had been.

            "I got it!" she said proudly.

"How did you do that?" Cloud exclaimed.

            "Well, I am the Great Ninja…" Cloud's hand lost its grip with the stone. "No, Cloud! Wait!"

            He flew towards the energy ball, screaming "Tell her I love her!"

            "Cloud, wait!" she yelled. "Tell who?" A stone spire flew towards the blonde man, piercing his body as he sailed through the air. The blue light in his eyes went dark, as he became lifeless before vanishing into the nexus.

            "NOOOO!!!" Yuffie screamed as she crouched behind the rock. A white light filled her eyes before she went unconscious herself.


	16. The Deep End

Sora awoke to his mother rapping on his door.

            "Sora, wake up!"

            "Aww mom… do I hafta? He buried himself further in the sheets, trying to ignore her.

            "Alright…" his mom conceded sarcastically. "I'll just have to tell your visitor that you can't come out today…"

            Sora threw off the sheets and looked out the window for Riku's boat, but there were none aside from his mother's and his own. Quickly getting dressed, he ran down the stairs to the living room, where his guest had to be.

            "Good morning, sleepyhead…" a lilting voice greeted him.

            "Kairi!" Sora was taken by surprise. "What are you doing here? Where's Riku?"

            "He's not here," she replied matter-of-factly. "The Mayor dropped me off."

            "Oh." Forgetting his manners, he said: "Do you want some breakfast?"

            "No, I already ate."

            "Well, I'm starving," he said, walking into the kitchen. The slightly cold eggs and fish waiting for him were devoured quickly, and he gave his mom a quick hug before going back to the red-haired girl sitting on the couch. "Are we ready?"

            "Yes, let's go." She got up and called to Sora's mother before leaving. "Bye Sora's mom! See you later!"

            "Goodbye Sora, goodbye Kairi!" she responded. "Don't stay out too late!"

            "We won't mom!" Sora untied the boat and helped his friend get in. "So where are we going, Kairi? Back to our island?"

            "No," she said, glancing at the island behind her, barely able to make out a tall, tan shape throwing a round thing at a short, fast-moving shape, and the smaller one hitting the round shape back at the tall one. "After last night I realized I needed to learn how to swim."

            Sora blushed slightly at the mention of last night.

            "And I realized that Riku is too bossy, and Wakka or Tidus would just try to teach me how to hold my breath for ten minutes, so I picked you!"

            "Wow…" Sora said, embarrassed. "I've never really taught anyone to swim before…"

            "Well, I think if we go somewhere where no one can see us, then neither of us will get embarrassed…"

            "That's a great idea!" Sora thought for a moment. "I think I have a good place."

            The pool was about as big as Sora's house, but no deeper than three feet at the center. For a young girl no taller than three and a half feet, this was challenging enough. Kairi made Sora turn around as she removed her shirt and dress, revealing a one-piece purple bathing suit that the Mayor had given her.

            "Okay, you can turn around now." She waded into the water as Sora took off his sandals, not as concerned about his clothes this time.

            Their first lesson was holding breath. Sora wasn't a Blitzball player, and so he came back up after two minutes. Kairi barely lasted 30 seconds.

            "That's alright, Kai," the brown haired boy said. "Next we'll learn floating…" They practiced a few more techniques, but as the day wore on it quickly turned into splashing fights and playing hide and seek around the lagoon. Both would easily have admitted that they were having the time of their lives.


	17. The Landing

Squall awoke with a start. "Rinoa!" were the first words to escape his lips, but unfortunately no one was there to hear them. He brought his hand to his head as he had done so many times before, absently touching his scar and thinking at the same time. His vision was blurry, but slowly returning. He could definitely tell that he was covered in a thin green blanket, and that he sat on a sort of leather mattress. Touching his neck, he found that his Griever necklace was gone. Searching around him frantically, his hand clasped around a shiny silver object. He quickly grabbed it and pulled it over his neck. As he did this, he noticed a doorway that was encircled by light. As his vision returned, he noticed that he was in a small, dark room, and that there was only one door. Slowly getting to his feet, and ignoring the sharp chest pains, he staggered towards the door, opening it inwards. The resulting brilliance was almost too much for him to handle.

            He was at the outer edge of a courtyard, which was filled with not only a huge amount of busy people, but also the brightest light that Squall had ever seen. He nearly swooned, but caught himself on the doorframe. Noticing this, a girl ran over to him. She had long, red hair, and was dressed in a strange white shirt that barely went below her waist. Squall followed her legs, encased in a strange red-brown hose, down to her black and white boots. She had enchanting purple eyes, and a green diamond set into the neck of her shirt. She caught Squall by the arms before he could fall again, and led him back into the house that he had awakened in.

            Squall found himself waking again. This time, the girl was sitting over him, mixing something in a bowl. Seeing him stir, she spoke softly. "There there, don't hurt yourself. You were in pretty bad shape when we found you. You're lucky that you survived… whatever it was that you survived…"

            "Where… am I?" he managed to murmur.

            "You're in Hollow Bastion. It's named that because of the waterways that run underneath the castle…" She stopped mixing. "But you probably don't care that much about it, do you?"

            Squall gave an affirmative grunt. His head was still reeling from the light. 

            "Here, drink this." The girl tipped the bowl forward, and Squall felt a cooling mixture flow down his throat. He could still taste bits of herbs, however. Whatever it was, it managed to cool his throat enough for him to say: "Water!"

            "Oh, of course." She uncorked a canteen and gave it to him. He quickly gulped down as much as he could handle. He lay back down for a moment, trying to catch his breath.

            "Who… are you?"

            "My name is Elhyam Van Houten, though you can call me Elly. Everyone else does."

            "I'm… Squall… Why does my head hurt so much? And why is it so damn bright?"

            "Well, Squall, Dr. Uzuki thinks it's because you've been exposed to a large amount of darkness, or something…"

            At that moment a thin, powerfully built man with black pants and a white and blue shirt entered the room. "C'mon, Elly. It's late."

            "But, he needs someone…" The man grabbed Elly by the arm and pulled her to her feet, but strangely without any sort of force.

            "Citan will be in to see him."

            "Alright…" Her long hair swished around her while the man's long black ponytail swung from side to side as they left. The door closed, and Squall thought himself to be alone again, until a wise-looking man with a green shirt and white pants entered the room.

            "Why hello, you must be Squall."

            "Who are you?"

            "My name is Dr. Citan Uzuki. I'm the village doctor."

            "What's wrong with me?"

            "You mean your sensitivity to light?"

            "Yeah."

            "Well, the only beings I've studied that are extremely sensitive to light are those with darkness in their essence. I trust you know of vampires and other such creatures?"

            "Yeah."

            "Well, given that you are a human and don't seem to have any demonic heritage, coupled with the fact that you say this came about recently, would lead me to believe that sometime recently a large amount of dark energy entered your body very quickly."

            "Yeah…" Squall thought aloud. "That must have been it."

            "Do you think you know where this darkness came from?"

            "In order to use magic, I have to absorb it from an outside force, most frequently a monster that naturally possesses the ability."

            "Fascinating."

            "I remember… trying to Draw from a huge black creature… I must have absorbed darkness instead."

            "These black creatures… Where did they come from?"

            "We don't know… They just appeared one day and started killing people."

            "Taking their hearts?"

            "That would be one way of describing it."

            "I believe then we have both been caught in the same sort of situation." Citan stroked his chin.

            "What do you mean?"

            "Our world, where Fei, Elly, and myself come from, was destroyed recently by a strange army of shadow creatures. When the end came we were sucked into a giant black vortex. However, instead of dying, we were all transported instead to this world, where we have been ever since."

            "Yeah. Pretty much the same happened to us."

            "Since then we've had all sorts of strange visitors. It seems that this world is something of a crossing point; and we've also heard of other 'refugee worlds.'"

            "What kind of other visitors?" Squall was very intent to know if any of his fellow SeeD's had made it.

            "Well, there was this young girl a few days ago… she had long black hair and was very pretty…"

            Squall sat up. "Was she wearing a long blue coat? With angel wings on the back?"

            "No, I'm afraid not. She was dressed in a yellow jumpsuit sort of thing, with a white shirt. A very large man in armor was accompanying her."

            "Damn." He lay back down again, dejected. Where are you, Rin?


End file.
